One and Only
by GemFawn
Summary: Christian and Syed meet in a different set of circumstances. Could Syed be the man to make Christian change?
1. Chapter 1

**No copyright infringement intended.**

**The title of this is stolen from the song by Adele, I think it's very fitting for what's going to happen. I hope you enjoy it.**

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><p>"How much have you had?" Syed stumbled with Ben as they walked, his arm around Ben's waist supporting him in his drunken state.<p>

"Just a couple of pints," Ben chuckled at his blatant lie. "It's Friday, Syed! Got nothing else to do anyway, not now Hannah's left me. You know Syed, I tried, I tried so hard. Always asking how her day had been, buying her flowers, what more could I have given her?"

Syed prepared himself for the same speech from Ben, which he'd already heard several times since he'd broken up with his girlfriend. He and Ben were good friends; they'd been working together in a property development company since Syed had moved back to London a couple of months ago. The pair of them had spent the evening in the pub with their fellow colleagues and now, as the night approached, Syed was making sure that Ben got home safely after his copious amount of drinking.

A light drizzle was now beginning to fall as they made their way down the high street, and the damp pavement made Ben canon into an expensive looking car as he tripped on a loose slab.

"Hey!" yelled an unamused voice behind them. "You better not have scratched my paintwork."

Syed turned around to see a tall man approaching them in the darkness.

"Maybe you shouldn't have parked your car on double yellows, mate." Ben slurred his words as he grabbed Syed's wrist, "Run!"

Syed had no choice but to be pulled along by Ben, who somehow managed to stay upright as he ran up the road.

"Slow down, Ben," Syed panted, "he's not following us."

Ben skidded to a halt and threw his arm back around Syed's shoulders; his body slumped against the other man's. They turned right at the end of the high street and began making their way towards Ben's home in the next road. The rain was falling heavily now, the sound of it drubbing in Syed's ears, and deep puddles were beginning to form.

The two men stood and waited patiently for a bus to pass, followed by a gleaming black car.

"Aaah!" Syed shrieked as the car splashed through a puddle, covering the two of them in icy water. As they both leapt back, Syed caught a glimpse of bright white teeth as the driver flashed a smug smile at him and then accelerated away.

"That was him, wasn't it?" Ben shivered next to Syed. "The one whose car I fell into. Bastard."

"It was definitely the same car," Syed confirmed. "Some kind of Merc."

"I'm freezing. Come on, probably got something you can change into back at mine."

**x-CS-x**

Syed was woken the next morning by the sound of his mobile ringing on the bedside table.

"'Ello," he squinted as he turned on the lamp and light flooded the room.

"Did I wake you up? Oh God, sorry!" Syed smiled at Pete's apologetic tone, only his boss would ring him at eight o'clock on a Saturday morning. "Look, I know it's the weekend and you've probably got plans but would you mind coming over to mine? Just for an hour or so. I need to go over the new project that you're going to be in charge of, the client's now decided that he 'needs' it to be finished earlier and I need your help with the plan changes."

"When do you want me?" Syed stifled a yawn as he stretched out his limbs and rubbed the sleep from his eyes.

"Around twelve okay? We can have a bit of lunch too; I want to hear all about those blokes you've pulled recently!"

"Don't get your hopes up, there's nothing much to say…"

"Alright Mr Coy, I'll see you later."

**x-CS-x**

Syed arrived at Pete's sprawling country mansion to find papers scattered all over the island worktop in the centre of the kitchen. He looked to Pete for an answer.

"Folder explosion. Stupid bloody thing, binders broke. Just ignore it; we can sort it after lunch, drink? I've just made some coffee."

"Sounds good. What's for lunch?"

"Syed Masood, can you not smell the wonder that is my legendary vegetable soup?" Pete walked over to the Aga and pulled the lid off of a large saucepan, giving the contents a quick stir with a wooden spoon.

"Is that what the smell is?" A cheeky smile played on Syed's lips as he replied.

"Oi! Right, eat first and then we've got to sort out the mess!"

The two men had exchanged pleasant banter as they enjoyed their lunch together. Being part of a relatively small team where they worked, they'd quickly become more than just a boss and his employee when Syed had joined the company. Like Syed, Pete was also gay and they'd found common ground on the issues that they'd both had with their families coming to terms with it. Whilst Syed's family certainly weren't comfortable with the way he was, they tried their hardest to accept it and his sexuality was no longer the elephant in the room.

"So, anyone new recently?" Pete smirked at Syed's annoyed expression as he gathered up their bowls. "That bad eh? I'll have to set you up with someone."

"No! No setting up, especially not with any of your friends. There was one guy actually…" Syed blushed as he spoke.

"Really? Tell me more!" Pete quickly spun around from his position at the dishwasher.

"Don't get too excited, it was just some guy that I met in a bar. Tall, brown hair, quite muscly -"

"And?" Pete interrupted him.

"And nothing, we just chatted for a while, that's all. I gave him my number, but he hasn't rung since."

"Well you're still doing a lot better than I have recently. Anyway, let's stop depressing ourselves about our lack of men. This job is starting to turn into an absolute nightmare. The deadline's been cut by a week, he's decided that he now wants carpet in the living room, not wooden flooring, which is ridiculous because it's open plan downstairs. So that messes up all of our plans with the carpet fitters because they thought they'd only be doing three bedrooms. Oh, and he wants a fireplace in the living room too. I don't think he understands that a fireplace has no place in a warehouse conversion, especially when he wants to put it in the solid brick wall. I've tried to convince him otherwise but he's insistent." Syed listened with his head in his hands as Pete ranted.

"And I'm going to working with this man? He sounds like a pretentious nightmare."

"No, he's -", their conversation was disturbed by the sound of the doorbell. "Sorry, probably Jehovah's, give me a sec."

"Do you mind if I use your bathroom?"

"Go ahead, you know where it is." Pete breezed out of the room as Syed headed to the toilet.

Syed returned to the kitchen to find the most disconcertingly good-looking man he'd ever seen, leaning against the Aga, his arms crossed in front of him. His face was tanned, emphasising the whiteness of his teeth. His biceps bulged out of a tight-fitting grey T-shirt and his long legs were clad in simple denim jeans.

"Syed, meet the 'pretentious nightmare', and my very good friend, Christian Clarke."

A devastating grin spread across Christian's face as he extended a hand to Syed.

"Lovely to meet you," Syed felt as though an electric shock went through him as his hand touched Christian's, when he breathed in he smelled a mixture of natural musk and aftershave. Christian lingered on Syed's face as they broke their contact.

"You know, something about you reminds me of something…"

Pete tittered and rolled his eyes, "You really are unbelievable, Christian. You've only just met the guy and you're already chatting him up."

"I'm being serious… for a change." But Christian's laugh said otherwise and Syed wasn't sure whether to believe him or not.

"Anyway, I only popped in to say that I've changed my mind about the carpet in the living room. I don't want you to have an aneurism so we'll stick with the wooden flooring, it better be good quality wood though." Christian was addressing Pete now, who exhaled an obvious sigh of relief. He now turned his attention to Syed, "I'm sure we'll be seeing a lot more of each other." The playful glint in his eye suggested he was well aware of the double entendre. Syed was also aware of something else happening, when Christian looked at him it felt as though all of his attention was on him, when he spoke to him it seemed as though all he cared about was Syed's answer.

Good trick.

Of course, it was also the sign of a champion seducer. Syed could imagine Christian never had any shortage of men.

Christian turned for a final time as he left the kitchen, with a wink he spoke, "See you soon, Syed."

After he'd gone, Syed said, "Well he thinks he's God's gift, doesn't he?"

Pete looked amused. "Christian's alright. To be fair to him, most of the guys round here treat him as though he's irresistible. He'll make a play for you, don't worry about that. Don't get your hopes up though; you've got no chance of having a relationship with him. Strictly no-strings. There are so many notches on his bedpost that there's barely any bedpost left."

As if Syed would ever be attracted to Christian anyway. He wasn't his type at all. Syed said bluntly, "Believe me, there's no chance of me going anywhere near him. Especially if he uses chat-up lines like -"

The kitchen door swung open and Christian re-entered the room. He raised his hands apologetically.

"Sorry, sorry!" From the grin on Christian's face it was obvious that he'd overheard every single word. "It's just that I've realised where I recognise you from." He was looking at Syed now. "Your friend threw himself over the bonnet of my car."

"Oh God." Syed mumbled under his breath. "That was your car?"

"Yep, my brand new, just out of the showroom, car." Christian's toned was that of feigned annoyance.

"Hey, don't chastise me; I'm sure Ben didn't do any damage."

"Is Ben your boyfriend?" Christian had a cheeky twinkle in his eye.

"Why do you assume that I'm gay?" Syed was well aware that his tone and body language were borderline flirty, but he realised that he was beyond caring.

"I'm a very clever man."

Syed let that comment go, "Anyway, you got your own back. Splashing us with the puddle."

"I'm very sorry for that. At least you know now that I wasn't spinning you a line. I knew I remembered you from somewhere."

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><p><strong>Reviews are appreciated and loved :) <strong>


	2. Chapter 2

**Thank you so much for all of the reviews and subscriptions. I love reading the feedback! Time for a revelation...**

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><p>A few days later…<p>

Syed and Ben were stood at the counter in the local sandwich shop waiting for the office's daily lunch order to be made up. All Syed had been able to think about recently was Christian. The image of him stood in Pete's kitchen, looking so confident and strong, handsome. He was arrogant, and that was something that he couldn't hide, but he also managed to have an irresistible charm about him. Syed was sure that underneath all of that bravado there was a truly kind and caring man, one who craved more than one night stands and endless shots of vodka. But he knew that he shouldn't allow himself to think too much about that, he wouldn't ever let Christian fool him into thinking that he'd be anything more than another notch.

Who was to say that Christian was even interested in him though? The way that he looked at him and spoke to him meant nothing, that was probably the way he was with every man that he met, whether he was attracted to them or not. Perhaps he got something of a kick out of it, making men's insides turn to jelly with a single look.

Syed still wanted to know more about Christian though; he was going to be in charge of renovating his home after all. It was always good to have a good relationship with your client, that was what Pete said, and it was advice that he agreed with.

Trying not to sound overly interested, he asked Ben, "Do you know much about Christian Clarke?"

"The bloke we're doing some work for?" Ben didn't even look at him, too engrossed in making sure that the woman behind the counter wasn't spreading too much pickle on his sandwich.

"Yeah," Syed muttered his reply. "I just wondered whether there was anything interesting to know about him."

"Well, I'm probably not the best person to ask, I barely know him. Only met him a few times when I've been out with the lads. You should ask Pete, he's his best mate."

"Yeah, but you know what Pete's like. If I asked a single question about him then he'd be setting us up on a date." Ok, so that was a bit of a lie, the last thing Pete would do was set them up. Syed briefly allowed himself to imagine what a date with Christian would be like, no doubt he'd be checking out every other man in the room. Then again, he might spend the entire night looking at Syed the way that he had in Pete's kitchen, like nothing else mattered. Syed's daydream quickly evaporated when he heard Ben talking.

"Fair point. From what I gather, he owns a relatively small chain of gyms and obviously likes to keep himself fit, although I'm guessing you already know that, Pete said you'd met him. Umm…" Ben looked deep in thought, "shags anything that's male, has a pulse and its own teeth, not necessarily in that order. That's about it."

Any illusion that Syed had about there being more to Christian than met the eye was now fading fast. He decided to change the subject.

"You do know," Syed paused as Ben took the two bags of sandwiches from the assistant and gave her a quick smile. "You do know that that was his car that you fell into the other night?"

Ben rubbed his side, "I wondered where that bruise had come from. Didn't do any damage did I?" his eyes widened as he realised he may have dented or scratched the car.

"Fortunately not, the car was brand new. I doubt he would have been very happy if you'd left even a tiny mark on it."

"I'm sure he wouldn't have been that bothered. He'd be able to afford any repairs if I had of done anything. Bet he's got plenty of spare cash after the wedding didn't go ahead."

Syed's ears pricked up at the word 'wedding', Christian was going to get married? That was the last thing he expected to hear. "Wedding?"

"Yeah, don't know much about that either. All I know is that it was all planned, venue booked, invites sent out, honeymoon to Mauritius sorted. Then two weeks before, it was all cancelled."

"They cancelled it at the last minute, why?"

"They had to."

"What, Christian couldn't bear the thought of being with same man for the rest of his life?" Syed rolled his eyes.

"No, nothing like that. They definitely would have gotten married, Christian practically worshiped Josh, but they couldn't. Because Josh died."

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><p><strong>Shocked? Let me know ;)<strong>


	3. Chapter 3

**Thanks again for all of the reviews and subscriptions, every single one is truly appreciated. It makes me want to carry on writing this too!**

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><p>Syed was finding it increasingly hard to concentrate since the recent revelation about Christian. The Christian he'd met didn't seem capable of a short-term relationship, let alone marriage. He couldn't even begin to think how Christian must have felt when he'd lost Josh… His death must have been fairly recent but Christian didn't come across as a grieving man, quite the opposite actually. There were a million questions that Syed wanted to ask, needed to ask, but talking about death was difficult even at the best of times. It was such a private thing too, he hardly felt it was very appropriate for him to ask, he didn't even know Christian's favourite colour, and going straight in with questions about his dead fiancé probably wasn't the best idea. Why was it any of his business anyway? Christian was nothing more than a client and Syed had been employed to renovate his home, not counsel him.<p>

Syed's trail of thought was broken by a large folder landing on his desk and the sound of clicking in his ear. He looked up to see Pete staring at him, a hint of annoyance on his face.

"Snap out of whatever it is that you're in, Syed. I don't pay you to daydream. Now listen, that folder's got everything in it that you'll need for the renovation of Christian's place. Whatever you do, don't lose it! Floor plans, paint colours, schedules, suppliers and -"

"Ben told me about Christian's fiancé dying," Syed blurted out, desperate to know more. "Two weeks before they were meant to get married, he didn't tell me how though..."

Pete laughed slightly, causing Syed to become incredulous, "I hardly think that it's funny."

"No, God no, it was terrible," Pete composed himself. "I just know that you've now fallen for him a tiny bit more. It's ok, it's a perfectly normal reaction, you're drawn in by it all. The tragic widower, well, almost, they didn't quite reach the aisle did they?" Pete shook his head and spoke again. "Christian's one of my best mates, and what happened was truly awful, the effect it has on other men just amuses me. They already love him a tiny bit when they meet him, his charm, his good looks, his amazing ability to flirt! As soon as they hear about his fiancé then they lose any remaining control, it only makes them want him more. And now the same thing has happened to you, hasn't it?"

"Absolutely not," Syed shook his head in protest.

"Yeah, of course it hasn't," Pete gave a wry grin. "You know what Syed, you go for it. You let him get to you, get you into his bed and then find out what happens afterwards. Don't come crying to me when he says that he'll call you and then never does."

Syed really wasn't in the mood to be lectured about Christian again, he'd come across his sort before and was well aware of what they were capable of. He wanted all of the details now, hearing the basics had only made him crave more. "I already told you that I'm not interested."

"Well that was before you'd heard the full story."

"I still don't know the full story!" Syed pushed himself back in his swivel chair and sulkily folded his arms in front of his chest.

"I haven't really got time for this right now. If you want to know _every last detail _then you can come round mine tonight." Pete muttered as he walked away, "Prepare to fall for Christian completely though."

**x-CS-x**

The working day had passed slowly as Syed worked through the plans for the renovation of Christian's new home. The warehouse conversion looked decent even in its raw state, and Syed knew it would look amazing when the work was complete. This was the first project he'd been really excited about since he joined the company, whether that was due to Christian's involvement was another matter.

He was now sat in Pete's living room on one of several leather chairs; Pete was reclining on the large leather sofa, a glass of red wine in his hand.

"Well I guess the best place to start is the beginning. Christian and Josh were together for almost four years, they met at the beginning of 2007. Josh was a few years younger, stunning man, could easily have been a model, blonde hair and bright blue eyes. Christian adored him. They got engaged on Christian's birthday in 2008, he said it was the best birthday present he'd ever had," Pete smiled fondly. "They were going to get married last June, a perfect summer wedding. Everything was arranged. They'd even started looking into adoption, they both really wanted to become parents. I've honestly never seen Christian happier. Anyway, a couple of weeks before the ceremony, Josh and Christian had a little bit of a falling out, about something stupid like tablecloths I think. I guess the stress of the wedding just made them both overreact a bit, you know, something out of nothing. Josh stormed out and didn't come home that night, Christian just thought he'd gone to stay with a mate and didn't really worry about it. Then the next morning the police knocked on the door."

Syed could already feel himself welling up; he didn't need to be told the outcome of the story. He already knew what Pete was going to say.

"Josh had been involved in a major collision on the motorway. Some other guy was driving recklessly, had a few too many to drink, he survived but Josh was announced dead at the scene," Pete sighed.

"I don't know what to say," Syed had a thousand images in his mind; he couldn't even begin to imagine the horror of it all. "Poor Christian."

"It was terrible," Pete agreed. "Christian went from having everything, to nothing. His whole future was taken away from him in an instant. He barely ate or slept, and he didn't speak, for weeks after it happened. He'd just sit there, holding a picture of him and Josh on the evening that they got engaged. He blamed himself, obviously. He thought that if he hadn't of snapped at Josh then he would never have walked out, never have crashed the car." Pete exhaled heavily, "He was kind of right I suppose. The grief and guilt… it just ate away at him. So, no more wedding obviously. They had a funeral instead, the day before their wedding would have taken place. Christian just seemed to go into autopilot afterwards, threw himself into his work. Ben told you that he owns a chain of gyms, didn't he?"

Syed nodded.

"The one he opened most recently is named after Josh, JC Fitness Centre; he was going to take Christian's name when they got married. I always thought Joshua Clarke had a nice ring to it. Anyway, about four months after the funeral, Christian started socialising again…" Pete rolled his eyes slightly, "and that's pretty much all he's been doing since, he's damn good at it too. He's like a magnet, always surrounded by men. He chats them up in a bar, takes them back to his place, fucks them and then sends them on their way. And according to him, it's brilliant."

Syed sensed a hidden message in Pete's words, which was confirmed when he began speaking again.

"So I'm not just saying that you'd be nothing more than a one-night stand, I know you will. The last thing Christian wants is to get involved with someone else, I think if he had his heart broken again then it would kill him."

Syed rubbed his hands over his face, "Is that why he's moving into this new place then? Is he trying to move on?"

"I think so; he doesn't talk about it all much. He's only just managed to sell the house that him and Josh lived in, he was going to sell up just after Josh died but we all thought it was too soon so convinced him to wait a while. He seems a bit more content now, I know he seems really happy and confident on the outside, but underneath all that I think there's a really vulnerable man there."

Pete's words seemed to be mirroring Syed's earlier thoughts.

"He's only ever cried in front of me once though. We were going through some of Josh's things and he found this DVD. There was nothing written on it, it was just a plain disc. So obviously he watched it… Josh had made it. It was going to be played at the wedding reception, it was just loads of photos of him and Christian. Normal, everyday photos of their life together. Christian sobbed his heart out watching it." Pete looked at Syed and noticed a glistening in his eyes, when he peered closer he could see tears threatening to spill. "Do you need a tissue?"

"Sorry, it's just devastating," Syed wiped his eyes with the back of his hand. "I never would have thought… he just doesn't seem like somebody who's been through all of that."

"Men think they can change him, they're completely convinced of it." Pete went on, "They all think that they can be the one to break through the barriers and make a difference. Make him fall in love again. But they can't. I've seen so many men try and fail. The last thing Christian's interested in is commitment, he'd rather stay single. And that," Pete took a sip of wine, "is what makes him so utterly irresistible. Isn't it?" he looked sideways at Syed.

"Nope. I'm still not interested in Christian Clarke."

If only it was as easy to convince yourself as it was to convince others.

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><p><strong>No chance of Chryed getting together then? Lots of Chryed interaction in the next chapter ;)<strong>


	4. Chapter 4

**Thanks for all of the lovely reviews! Enjoy...**

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><p>"Shit, shit, shit." It was eleven o'clock on a Sunday morning and Syed had frantically been looking for the keys to Christian's new house for the past hour and a half. He was sure he'd seen them earlier, resting on his coffee table, but now they seemed to have miraculously disappeared. The work had begun a couple of days ago and everything had been going smoothly, up until now. The plasterers had now finished and Syed was meant to be letting the decorators in early tomorrow morning, but if he'd lost the keys then that wasn't going to happen. Pete was away for the weekend so he wouldn't be able to open up the office for Syed to get the spare set. What a nightmare. Syed reached for his phone, relieved when Pete quickly answered.<p>

"Great timing, Syed," Pete's voice was barely more than a whisper. "Everybody in this gallery is staring at me now. What do you want?"

"I think I've lost the keys to Christian's place. I can't get the spare set from the office, obviously. I don't know what to do!" Syed was trying his hardest to remain calm, this happened to everyone at some point. He didn't want Christian to think that he was an amateur though.

"Christian will have one, I'm sure. Pop over to his and get them."

"I don't know where Christian lives, hold on." Syed grabbed a pen. "What's his address then?"

**x-CS-x**

Syed looked down at his clothes as he stepped out of his car and onto Christian's driveway. He was dressed casually today, jeans and a plain black T-shirt. Maybe he should have made more effort? No, Christian would probably know that he'd dressed up for him, and he didn't want him getting the wrong idea…

The first thing that Syed noticed was that there were two other cars on the drive, one he recognised as Christian's flashy black Mercedes, but the other was one that he hadn't seen before. Who did that belong to then? Another one of Christian's many conquests no doubt. Was that a little niggling of jealousy that Syed could feel?

He made his way towards the front door, slightly startled when it suddenly opened in front of him.

"I saw you out the window," Christian was stood before him, his hair wet from the shower and a dark blue vest clinging damply to his torso. Wow. He was wearing a pair of baggy sports shorts and his feet were bare. "You gonna come in then?" He stood aside and Syed caught a glance of himself in the hallway mirror as he entered the house, annoyed when he spotted a stray curl sticking out inconsiderately.

Syed followed Christian through to the kitchen and looked around as he leant against the worktop. There was an air of sterility about Christian's home. The hallway and kitchen were both impeccably clean and tidy; everything in them seemed to have its own place and was set at a perfect angle. There was no warmth though, no homely feeling, it was as though there was something missing… Syed didn't have time to dwell on what though, as Christian began speaking.

"Pete rung, said you've lost the keys."

Syed felt a blush beginning to form. "Yeah." He reassured Christian, "I'm sure they'll turn up eventually though."

"Don't worry about it; I was going to get the locks changed at some point anyway. You got time for a coffee?" Christian's smile was genuine and friendly.

"Sure. You've got a fantastic house, by the way." That's it, stick to property developer mode, remember that Christian is nothing, and never will be, more than a client.

"You've only seen the kitchen," Christian looked at Syed over his shoulder and teasingly rolled his eyes. "Milk and sugar?"

"Milk thanks, no sugar."

As Christian retrieved the milk, Syed noticed some photos on the fridge. Was there a picture of Christian and Josh on there?

"Sweet enough already?" Christian laughed and his eyes twinkled, "Sorry, I couldn't resist!" He placed a steaming mug of coffee down in front of Syed.

"Chris?" A velvety, and distinctly male, voice called out from upstairs. "You done in the bathroom now?"

Syed took a sip from his coffee, trying to appear nonchalant and uncaring as to who the other man in the house was. He was sure that he saw Christian look at him, and smirk, before he replied.

"Yeah, do you want me to scrub your back?"

The other man laughed deeply from the top of the stairs, "I'm sure I can manage."

Christian lowered his voice, "The many benefits of doing yoga, eh? Super flexible." He winked at Syed.

What was once charm from Christian was slowly becoming sleaziness for Syed, and he wasn't so sure if Christian was as attractive as he'd first thought. Noticing Syed's look of disapproval, Christian quickly changed the subject. They politely discussed the renovation, with Syed ensuring that the conversation remained purely professional, for about ten minutes until the sound of the shower ceased. Wanting to leave before Christian's latest squeeze came downstairs, Syed made an effort to make sure it was blatant when he checked his watch.

"Not got time for another one then?" Christian pulled a mock-sad face and pouted, "Or can't you stand being in my company any longer?"

"No, I've just," Syed thought quickly, "got things to do." Very original… great excuse.

"I'll just get you the keys then, give me a sec." If Christian was disappointed that Syed didn't want to stay longer then he wasn't making it very obvious. Then again, his companion upstairs might be an irresistible sex god compared to him.

Syed watched Christian leave the room and heard his footsteps as he went up the stairs. No doubt he'd gone up there to have a quickie with his bendy new boyfriend and the keys were actually sat in a bowl by the front door. Now that Christian was gone, Syed had the opportunity to look more closely at the pictures on the fridge. What was it that Pete had said Josh looked like? Blonde hair and blue eyes. Syed scanned over the photos, there was nobody on them who matched that description. Although why would Christian keep photos of his dead fiancé on the fridge anyway? To show to his one night stands after a night of passion? Unlikely.

Syed noticed another door leading from the hallway, slightly ajar, which he guessed led into the sitting room. Maybe there would be some pictures in there. Syed had no idea where his inscrutable level of curiosity had come from, what was it about Christian that made him want to know so much about his life? Quickly checking that Christian wasn't on his way back downstairs, Syed cautiously pushed the door open and crept in.

The room was light and airy; the early afternoon sun was filling it with comforting warmth. A cream L-shaped sofa was sat in the middle of the room and various pictures adorned the walls. Christian certainly had a random taste in artwork; it was quite homoerotic, depictions of naked male forms in various positions. Looking around the room, Syed noticed a table on the far wall, several picture frames were placed neatly upon it. He nervously approached it, recognising Christian in many of the photos. A couple were of an older man and woman, Syed guessed they were Christian's parents; in another Christian was stood with a woman who looked similar to him, it must have been his sister. One which stood out to him was of Christian looking slightly worse for wear with a group of his friends. He was wearing a crisp white shirt and had a glass of what looked like champagne in his hand, his smile lit up the photo and Syed couldn't help but grin at it, Christian looked exuberant. There was still no-one who could be Josh though.

Syed suddenly heard the thud of quick footsteps on the stairs and rushed to get out of the room. Pulling the door to, he turned round and was face to face with the mysterious man from upstairs.

"Christian! Your mate's snooping around." It was hard to tell whether he genuinely believed that and was being serious or not. Christian was soon with them in the hallway, a set of keys in his hand.

"It's a shame you've 'got things to do'," Christian made it obvious that he knew Syed had been lying about his plans. "I could have given you a guided tour. Were you seeing if there was anything worth robbing then?" Christian was stood looking intently at him with his hand on his hips in a commandeering pose.

"No, I was just looking for the toilet…" Syed hoped this lie would be more convincing than his previous one.

"And you thought you'd find it in the living room?" The other man was talking now; his build was similar to Christian's, maybe slightly bulkier. He wasn't half as attractive as Christian though, and Syed found him slightly intimidating.

"Alright Matt, give him a break, Syed's obviously just very inquisitive." Christian winked at him. Did he have to make everything into an innuendo? "This is my business partner," he indicated towards Matt. "We drunk a fair bit last night so he stayed." He looked at Matt, "Shouldn't you be getting home to that wife of yours now?"

"Oh, am I getting in the way of some love in the afternoon?" Matt spoke with supposed realisation and raised his eyebrows suggestively.

"No!" Christian and Syed spoke in unison, although Christian's tone was a lot less serious and unamused than Syed's was. The pair of them glanced at each other and Christian displayed a sympathetic smile.

**x-CS-x**

With Matt gone, Syed was now hoping that he could take the keys and make a swift exit, but Christian seemingly had other ideas.

"So, why were you in my living room then?" Christian sounded slightly annoyed now.

No more lies, honestly was the best policy. "Pete told me about Josh… he said he was stunning. I was just looking for a photo of him; you were right when you said that I was inquisitive." Syed flashed a shy smile. "Christian, I'm really sorry -"

"I don't keep any photos of Josh down here." Christian interrupted him, he sounded a lot more reserved now. Syed noticed a change in his eyes too, they lost their sparkle slightly. "Thanks for being honest though. Here are the keys, by the way."

"Thanks," Syed took them, his hand brushing Christian's as he did so, and slipped them into his pocket.

"So, Pete's told you that I'm a tragic widower then?"

"Yeah, yeah he did." Syed smiled apologetically.

"I'm guessing that he warned you off me too?"

"Several times," Syed laughed.

"Typical Pete, and how do you feel about that?" Christian looked questioningly at him.

If Syed was honest, it made him feel like a child again. Too many times he'd been told what to do, how to feel, how to act, and he'd grown sick of it. But then the more you were told not to do something, the more you wanted to do it… He wasn't going to tell Christian all of that though.

"I trust Pete, I'm sure he knows what he's talking about. Anyway," said Syed. "You made me think you had another man upstairs; I think I now know exactly what kind of man you are. One that likes to mess around with other people's feelings and wind them up. You get a kick out of it, don't you?"

"But I did have a man upstairs. You just never asked who he was." And there it was again, that smug grin which was so captivating. He opened the front door. "By the way, I was wondering if I could have a quick look around the house before the decorators go in tomorrow morning."

"Okay… what time?"

"Eight okay? I'm always _up_ early in the morning."

Syed wanted to throw something at him. He gritted his teeth, "See you there, then."

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><p><strong>A tour round Christian's and a couple of minor misunderstandings coming up in the next chapter!<strong>


	5. Chapter 5

**Thanks for all of the reviews! **

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><p>Syed patted his pocket as he stepped out of his front door, checking that the keys to Christian's flat were safely in there. Sliding into the driver's seat of his car, he turned on the radio and began to drive, trying to focus on the roads and not the thought of seeing Christian. His objective soon failed as he began pondering what kind of man Christian really was, it was so difficult to tell. His teasing and flirtatious behaviour seemed to come naturally, but Syed wasn't sure if it was his way of covering up how he really felt, almost like a coping mechanism. There had been a definite sadness in Christian's eyes when Josh had been mentioned, the bravado had faded and Syed had seen a glimpse of the vulnerable man that Pete had described. There was so much more to Christian than first met the eye and that intrigued Syed immensely, but it also made him crave Christian's company and he knew that that was dangerous. He didn't want to end up feeling desire for a man who was only interested in a quick fumble with him…<p>

Eventually Syed pulled up outside a 19th century warehouse and spotted Christian's car further up the road, with its owner leaning against it. He looked resplendent in a tight black lycra vest that clung to him like a second skin, the early morning sun highlighting the wonderful curve of his muscles, and the sight made Syed's breath catch in his throat. He did a double take before giving Christian a quick wave to catch his attention.

"Hey, Syed!" Christian bounded towards him like an excitable child, "Don't you look smart in your work gear? I love a guy in a suit and tie," he winked and pointed at his car. "See how shiny it is? I got it valeted yesterday, gorgeous fella did it too. Bit too young for me though." So he did have some standards then. "Got no friends in your car who might want to throw themselves over the bonnet?"

"No," Syed attempted to keep his tone unamused. "Shall we go up then?" He took another look at Christian, who was now stood right next to him, close enough to see every exposed hair on his chest, every line on his perfectly formed face. A truly beautiful man, Syed thought. He was only aware that he was still staring when Christian waved a hand in front of his face.

"Are you in a trance?" Christian cocked his head to the side, "You've got the key remember?"

"Oh yeah, sorry." Syed quickly averted his eyes from Christian, extricated the set of keys from his pocket and opened the unassuming front door. As the pair of them walked through, they entered a lobby which was dominated by a wrought iron staircase winding up into the main living area.

Syed swallowed as he began to follow Christian up the stairs, he'd been in his presence for five minutes and he was palpitating already. Snap out of it. Christian's long legs, broad shoulders, a loose piece of thread stuck to the back of his tracksuit bottoms… Syed dug his fingers into his palms, trying to resist the temptation to remove it, because obviously it would raise no suspicions if he laid his hands on Christian's arse. It would feel so good though…

"Are you looking at my backside?"

Oh god. "Of course not."

"Yeah right, I could feel your eyes on me. I can always tell when I'm being ogled."

Syed sincerely hoped that Christian was lying and had no idea that he'd been transfixed as he watched him walk up the stairs.

**x-CS-x**

Syed was blown away when he entered Christian's home, it was amazing. He'd seen the floor plans but Pete had been overlooking the plasterers so this was the first time he was seeing it properly. Open plan and set over three floors, it smelled of fresh plaster and sawdust. The ground floor featured huge windows and French doors leading onto a balcony, and the living room curved around into a kitchen, in which there lay a solitary kettle and a few other bits and bobs.

"Is it the decorator's today? I zoned out when Pete was telling me."

"Yeah, don't you think it'll look a bit sterile if it's all cream though?" Syed's professional mask was starting to slip; he was talking to Christian as more of a friend than a client. The customer is always right, the classic business mantra, Syed told himself to remember that. But then that was difficult when Christian wasn't your average client.

"Nah, you saw all of artwork in my living room, that's sure to brighten things up!" Christian took a look at his watch, "We've got time for a coffee before everyone else arrives, haven't we?"

"Yeah I guess so." Syed joined Christian in the kitchen area and surveyed the view from the window, watching passers-by scurrying along the path below.

"It's not the good stuff you had at mine I'm afraid, I just bought it for everyone working here," he passed Syed a mug. "It probably tastes like mud."

Syed cautiously took a sip and grimaced, "It's not great."

Christian laughed. "So, do you want the grand tour then? Not that there's much to see obviously."

Syed followed Christian up another smaller flight of stairs which led to the mezzanine level, they both turned right at the top and into another room.

"So this is going the spare bedroom, although it'll probably just end up full of clutter," Christian walked out and across the hallway into another room. "Right now I'm thinking that this'll be something of an office, I always thought that Jo-" Christian stopped himself before he spoke Josh's name and swiftly exited the room, clapping his hands together as he did so and plastering a fake grin onto his face. "Do you want to see the conservatory?"

Syed tried to act as though Christian hadn't almost uttered Josh's name and smiled back at him, "Sure."

They headed up a further flight of stairs to the conservatory, the doors of which led out onto the roof terrace. The pair of them stood mesmerised by the spectacular view of London in the early morning. Everything seemed so still and peaceful up here. Syed jumped when he felt a hand on his shoulder.

"It's wonderful isn't it?" The warmth of Christian's hand was amazing, sending a spark of pleasure through Syed. "This view was what really sold this place to me."

Syed was trying hard not to let Christian get to him, he could remember Pete's words._ Nothing more than a one-night stand. Happy being single. Not interested in commitment._ Now, of course, he knew everything about Josh too. He casually shrugged Christian's hand off him.

"Pete mentioned something about a gym."

Christian paused for a moment before he said, "Yeah, bottom floor. Come on." He looked at Syed for a second, what was that look in his eyes? It wasn't lust anymore; at least Syed didn't think so. No, there was more to it than that. Something deeper. It made Syed feel important, special. Unless that was another one of his tricks, when words failed then he used his eyes. Syed mentally slapped himself and followed Christian.

**x-CS-x**

Having been shown around the rest of the ground floor, Syed was now stood in the master bedroom.

"And this, well this is where the magic happens." Well that was predictable. "Not yet though obviously, lack of bed. You'd want more than just a mattress on the floor wouldn't you?" Christian looked earnestly at Syed.

Syed was taken aback, was Christian always this forthcoming? "Sorry?"

"No, no, no, no, sorry, I didn't mean it like that." Christian raised his hands defensively. "I just mean, I've never met a man who particularly enjoyed it on the floor, at least not in the bedroom anyway. The kitchen on the other hand…"

Still slightly uncomfortable with Christian's topic of conversation, and desperately trying to erase any thoughts of having sex with him on the kitchen floor, Syed was relieved when the other man's phone rang. Christian looked at the display with a puzzled expression on his face, "Sorry, do you mind?"

"No, course not."

Christian smiled and walked into the main living area, leaving Syed stood alone in his bedroom. He could hear Christian laughing at whoever he was speaking too, and tried to figure out what he was saying. He decided to casually stroll back into the kitchen and pretend to be working.

"It was fun, yeah. Hmm, too many shots of tequila definitely! I didn't, did I?" It sounded as though Christian had enjoyed a night of debauchery. "No, I definitely would have remembered something like that. I'm not really looking for a relationship right now. Well, there's kind of somebody else. Yeah, sorry. Bye R-, Ro-" he quickly hung up, and looked at Syed, shamefaced. "I don't have a clue who that was. I don't normally give out my number… I really must have drunk a lot. Well you've had my wonderful guided tour and the plaster looks decent," he dramatically brushed a hand over the wall. "I've got to be going now though. This body," he ran his hands over his flat torso, "requires a lot of maintenance."

"I thought it was all steroids," Syed dared.

"Oi!" In a few strides Christian was stood in front of him, holding his tensed arm out. "Go on, feel that." Syed looked at him, perplexed. "Feel it!" Syed nervously moved his hand towards Christian's bicep, giving it a small squeeze. The sensation was exquisite; hard, ripped muscle lying underneath warm, smooth skin. Syed had to hold in a gasp. He failed to notice Christian's conceited grin. "Now that, Mr Masood, requires a lot of effort. Only the best quality protein goes into my body, no steroids, no dodgy pills, just 100% natural hard work."

Syed swallowed and removed his hand, already missing having contact with Christian's body. "Does your boyfriend like your arms?" Christian took a further step towards him, now so close that Syed's neck was craned as he looked up at him.

"My boyfriend?"

"The one you were telling that guy on the phone about." Syed tried to keep the jealousy out of his voice.

"Have you never used that lie before?" Christian looked amused, "There's no boyfriend." A surge of happiness and relief flooded through Syed, "I'm free and single. And I really need to get to the gym." Christian moved out of Syed's personal space. He swaggered away and as he reached the door he turned round and blew Syed a kiss, which quickly turned into a broad grin. "See you soon."

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><p><strong>The return of Ben, jealous Syed, and a question from Christian... all coming up in the next chapter! :)<strong>


	6. Chapter 6

**Thanks for all of the lovely reviews :) Time for a night out...**

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><p>It was a Saturday evening and Syed was sat staring at a mundane programme on the television, trying to distract himself from his thoughts of Christian. Ok, so he'd admit it. He found Christian attractive, incredibly so. And not just in terms of the way he looked either, his personality was endearing too. He'd been popping in and out of his new home, seeing how the renovation was going, and having a quick chat with Syed before heading off again. When it was just the two of them, normally stood on the roof terrace enjoying a quick coffee, it was as though Christian was a different person. His teasing nature remained but his suggestive remarks and sexual comments, which would leave Syed with a twinge in his groin and an ache of jealousy in his stomach, had diminished considerably. He'd talk to Syed as more of a person than a potential conquest, and it was… nice.<p>

Day by day, Syed's anticipation grew and he felt his mood escalate when he saw Christian walk through the door. Sometimes there was something that Syed guessed could be called flirting, moments when a smile was more than friendly or contact between them lasted a little longer than it should. But despite that, Syed knew that even if anything more did happen with Christian, he'd never get what he wanted. He wanted a relationship with Christian, not some mindless shag. He knew that if he had him once then he'd only crave him more, the feelings he'd had before he came out would resurface. The desperation, the sadness, the emptiness, and he couldn't go through all of that again. So whilst he'd allow himself to enjoy his time with Christian, he always made sure to tell himself not to get too attached, not to read into things too much.

It was Pete's birthday today and there was something of a get together happening in the local pub this evening. Syed knew that Christian was going to be there and was sure that he'd be dressed to impress, no doubt searching for another man to take home with him. Syed stood in front of his wardrobe, idly looking through his collection of shirts. He found himself wondering which one Christian would like, the black one he thought, with a couple of buttons undone to show off a bit of chest. There was nothing wrong with a bit of visual flirtation, was there?

**x-CS-x**

The pub was busy, crammed with friends of Pete, some of whom Syed recognised, all there to help celebrate his fortieth. Shiny helium balloons were scattered around, making everyone well aware of Pete's milestone birthday. Syed spotted Ben slouched at a table in the corner, sat with a few of his other colleagues, and made his way over.

"If my fortieth is anything like this then I'll top myself," Ben had clearly bypassed the fun stage of inebriation and was now in a depressive mood, fiddling morosely with a beer mat.

Syed decided to go straight in for the kill. "Is Christian here yet?"

"Christian?" Ben sighed heavily and dropped the beer mat onto the table. "Have you had him yet? I bet you have, haven't you? Do you love him?" Ben made to get up. "Everyone. Oi!" Oh no. "Syed's got an announcement to make."

Syed quickly tugged on his sleeve and chastised him, "What the hell are you doing?"

"I was just going to tell everybody that you love Christian." Ben looked genuinely confused.

Syed's heart sank as he felt his presence before he heard him. "We haven't even shared a kiss and you love me already?" Christian asked, with a gratified twinkle in his eye.

"I didn't say that," Syed clarified. "He's drunk."

"Yeah I can see that. How much has he had?" Christian crouched down at their table.

"Not a clue, I've only just arrived."

"Well I think I'll leave you to sort him out. I need a drink." Noticing Syed didn't have one, he asked, "Can I get you one too?"

"I'm fine." Syed replied bluntly.

Christian excused himself, leaving Syed with a drunken Ben leaning on his shoulder.

**x-CS-x**

Having managed to finally detach himself from Ben, Syed was now stood chatting with a few friends at the bar. Occasionally he'd scan the room, seeing if he could spot Christian amongst the masses. At one point a crowd shifted and Syed caught a glimpse of him, surrounded by a cluster of men, sharing a joke. Syed felt something that could have been jealousy, but then what did he have to be jealous of? The heart-churning disappointment when Christian didn't return their calls? The feeling of rejection when Christian told them that he wasn't interested in anything more than one night together? Christian's tongue, licking a path over their flesh as they writhed on the covers of his bed? Syed felt a sudden rush of blood to his groin, the effect that Christian had on him was turning into something of a curse.

Syed smiled when Pete sidled over to them, a glass of champagne in his hand. "I saw you! Staring at Christian. You still sticking to your 'I'm not interested' story?" He cupped his hands around his mouth. "Christian! Get over here."

"What are you doing?" Syed suddenly felt very jittery as Christian approached.

"Saving him," he answered knowingly. "If that lot get their claws into him then there'll be no escape."

"Lifesaver." Christian turned to look at the men, who were all now staring at the three of them. "One of them clearly hasn't had any in a while, gagging for it, and not in a good way."

At that moment the pub door swung open and a man with a slight build strutted in, a bouquet of flowers in his arms. As soon as he spotted Christian he rushed over, shoving the flowers at Pete and mumbling his best wishes.

"Darling, how are you?" He gave Christian a peck on the cheek.

"Jack." Christian managed a tight smile, "Good thanks, yourself?"

"You know me, always happy." His grin was manic, Syed found him slightly unnerving. "I had such an amazing time the other night. We must do it again." He stroked his hand over Christian's cheek and the knot of jealousy in Syed's stomach tightened.

What could have easily become an awkward pause was averted by the sound of smashing glass as Ben fell onto the bar, sending various glasses onto the floor.

Christian looked at Syed, through a laugh he asked, "He really does he like throwing himself over things, doesn't he?"

"No, he just can't hold his drink. I'll take him outside." Syed reluctantly detached himself from the group and, after getting a glass of water from the barman, took Ben by the arm and led him outside.

**x-CS-x**

Syed had decided that he could no longer look after Ben, and wanting to salvage at least some of the evening he called a taxi to take the other man home. As he was telling the driver the address, he heard the volume of noise from inside the pub increase as the door was opened. He already knew who was standing there before he turned around. He mentally prepared himself.

Christian smiled, he looked incredible tonight. "You're a better man than I am. I would have just left him to get on with it."

"Well that's the difference between me and you isn't it? I'm not selfish." Had he really just said that?

"You really have got a low opinion of me, haven't you?" Christian looked hurt by that comment, hurt and annoyed.

"Blame Pete."

"Believe me, I do. He's prone to exaggeration you know. I'm not as much of a man-eater as he likes to make out." Was that really true? "Actually, the real reason I came out here was to ask if you could do me a massive favour." He gazed intently at Syed. "There are a couple of people in there putting me under a bit of pressure."

"Only a couple?" There it was again, the inescapable flirty note to his voice.

"Ok, maybe a few more."

"It's a good job you work out." Syed's eyes flickered towards Christian's arms, what they would feel like wrapped around his- Stop it. "It must be difficult having to fend off all of those men."

"You're really not very good at sarcasm, you know. Are you going to do me this favour or not?"

"You seriously expect me to say yes when you haven't told me what I've got to do?"

"It's the launch of the Health and Gym Awards and I've got to take a guest with me." Christian paused and sat down on the wall outside of the pub. "But now word's got out and all of them in there want to be the one that I ask. It's turning into an absolute nightmare and I could do without all of the hassle. I'm sure a fight's going to kick off soon; Jack's throwing bitchy comments at everyone. So I was thinking that the best way around it would be to take you with me instead."

"Are you serious? I'll be run out of London by them."

"Please." Christian pouted and Syed felt his insides turn to mush, why did he have to look so adorable when he did that? "None of them know you, not properly anyway. Think about it Syed, nearly everyone there has money. You can mingle and make some contacts. I guarantee you there'd be at least a couple of people there who are looking to get renovations done. Look at it as a business opportunity. We'll both gain something out of it. You can make some contacts and I can get that lot off my back. We'll have a fantastic evening, I promise."

"I can't." Syed shook his head. "I'm not interested in you, Christian."

"I never said that this was going to be a date. It won't be romantic. Not in any way at all. So what's the problem?"

Syed's mind was racing. Was Christian playing some kind of game? Whatever he was doing, it was working.

"Go on," Christian's tone was persuasive. "I'd take Matt but he and the wife are staying with her parents." Christian spoke about marriage in such an unexpectedly casual way, like it was a hindrance rather than a blessing. "I think the next best thing is to take you. It'll be purely platonic."

Syed guessed it did make sense, if not to just try and make some new contacts. God, Christian was good. This was all starting to get a bit too complicated.

"Unless you don't want it to be," said Christian.

Well that didn't help at all. Syed felt almost nauseous now. Christian was an absolute nightmare. The sensible thing would be to say no. Stopping before he was in even deeper.

"I'll take that as a no then." Christian took the unnaturally long pause as a sign of Syed's disinterest.

Nooooooo! He did want to go. He did!

"When is it?"

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><p><strong>Progress...? ;)<strong>


	7. Chapter 7

**Thank you to everyone who's reading and for all of the reviews :)**

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><p>"No thanks. I'll just have water or orange juice, if they've got any." Syed dared to look in Christian's eyes for only the second time tonight.<p>

"The whole point of us getting a taxi here was so that neither of us had to worry about driving home. We can have a few drinks and enjoy ourselves."

Syed didn't want to think what enjoying themselves would mean, not right now anyway, his trousers were tight enough already.

"I don't drink," he said resolutely.

"Go on, one drink won't hurt," Christian was trying to persuade him with his charm. Was that his plan? Get him drunk and drag him back to his bed?

"Christian, seriously I don't drink. Not for health reasons, not because I'm an alcoholic, I just don't." Syed felt that he had to be forceful; if he wasn't then Christian wouldn't ever give up. It wasn't that he didn't want to tell him that he didn't drink because of his religion; he wasn't ashamed of it or trying to hide it. He just knew that it provoke endless questions from Christian and he wasn't in the mood for them tonight. Like Christian had said, they'd come here to have a good time, not for in-depth discussions.

"Fair enough," Christian shrugged his shoulders. "You don't mind if I do though?"

"Course not. As long as you can walk in a straight line by the end of the night then you can drink as much as you like."

"Don't worry, I don't intend on getting hammered." Syed wondered how true that was. Christian grabbed a glass from a passing waiter. "He's worried I'm going to seduce him," he confided.

The waiter leaned in and stage-whispered in Syed's ear, "You should go for it. You lucky, lucky man."

Great, that wouldn't encourage Christian at all.

"I definitely won't be," Christian spoke to the waiter but gave Syed occasional glances. "I'm a man who keeps his promises and I gave him my word that I wouldn't."

The waiter turned to Syed, "If you change your mind then I'm sure you can persuade him to change his too."

Just the thought of it sent Syed's blood pounding round his body. He grabbed a glass of water from another passing waiter and took several big gulps of it. He kept his head down until he felt Christian's presence disappear, then surveyed the room as Christian exchanged in conversation with a couple of fellow gym owners. He bit back a smile as he observed Christian laughing with the pair of them, so happy and carefree. Syed clasped his hands together and chewed his lip nervously as he continued to watch Christian. He looked extraordinary tonight in tight black trousers which emphasised the delightful curve of his buttocks, and a white silk shirt with the top button teasingly undone.

The awards were being held in a huge hotel in Mayfair. Despite the majority of guests being blokey-types who owned gyms and health clubs, the room still had a glamorous feel and Syed had found himself effortlessly conversing with many of the others invitees. Christian was right; he'd managed to make a couple of contacts. So far, he'd had a surprisingly good evening. He also found that, despite the fact he wasn't drinking, Christian was getting increasingly more attractive by the minute. He had to keep telling himself that he wasn't going to become anybody's notch, especially not Christian's.

At that moment, a man in a white suit sidled up to him, his bleached white teeth dazzled behind his orange tan.

"Hello!" Gay? Straight? Syed couldn't decide. An ex of Christian's maybe? "I've been meaning to come over and introduce myself," he extended a hand. "Alex Weare, I'm on the judging panel, known Christian for years. You must be his boyfriend?"

"Friend," clarified Syed. "Just a friend."

"That's probably for the best," Alex laughed. "Hard to keep up with Christian's social life these days. Then again, he's allowed some fun isn't he?"

Syed guessed he was referring to Josh and displayed an empathetic smile, "Yeah, I guess so."

**x-CS-x**

After dinner the dancing began. Syed sat and watched Christian dancing with various women, and the occasional man. Wow. He really knew what he was doing. Syed looked on admirably; his movements were fluid and effortless as he graced the dance floor. Christian glanced up and caught his eye. Excusing himself from his current dance partner, he made his way over to the table and looked at his watch. It wasn't time to leave, was it? Syed didn't want the night to end just yet.

"What?" His heart sank, "Do we have to go?"

"Only if you want to." Christian sat down and took a sip of wine, tilting his head to one side and concernedly looking into Syed's eyes. "Are you not enjoying yourself?"

"No, I'm having a great time." Syed could smell his aftershave, it was divine.

"Good. I was just going to ask if you wanted to dance." There was a shy smile on Christian's face, which quickly dissipated when he noticed that Syed was looking. "It's just that you're my guest and people might think it's a bit strange if we don't." He paused, "Let's just get it out of the way, eh?"

"Ok." Yeah, that made sense. He reluctantly pushed his chair back and stood up, taking Christian's hand. That really shouldn't feel so good.

As they stood on the dance floor Christian smiled cheekily at Syed, "Don't worry, I'll behave myself. Still going to be the perfect gentleman, just like I promised." He pulled Syed into his body and rested a warm hand on the base of his spine, the other laid on his shoulder.

As they began to move to the music, Syed realised how safe he felt in Christian's embrace. His arms felt like a protective blanket around him, comforting and strong. Syed's body tingled as he became aware that almost the entire front of his body was touching Christian's. His aftershave smelt better than it ever had before; if he wanted to then Syed could easily reach up and lick his neck. He had to stop having these kinds of thoughts. If he got too excited then Christian would undoubtedly be able to feel it…

"Having fun?" asked Christian.

Syed forced himself to look in Christian's eyes; continually avoiding them would look odd. "People here are really nice."

"Good." Christian smiled briefly. Did he have even a clue about the effect that his smile had? It made it even harder to concentrate on anything but him. Syed closed his eyes fleetingly and thought of Pete's words, yet again. Sex… that was all Christian wanted. No meaningful relationships, no spending lazy days together. Pure, unadulterated fun. Syed had to keep remembering that.

"What are you thinking?" Christian's voice broke through Syed's feverish thoughts.

"Nothing."

"That means I don't want to know." Christian smirked.

Their eyes met again. Syed hoped his palms weren't sweating enough for Christian to feel it. He could feel Christian's hips against his, nothing but a few layers of material separating their bare skin.

Christian moved his mouth close to Syed's ear and whispered, "Am I allowed to pay you a compliment?" He didn't wait for Syed to respond. "I think you're the sexiest looking man in this room tonight."

Syed felt his knees weaken slightly and his mouth went dry. Christian's seductive voice drifted in his ear like molten gold. All Syed could do was swallow in reply. They swayed to the music for a few more seconds until Syed felt Christian's hand slip lower down his spine.

"What are you doing?" Horrified, he tried to back away from Christian and slap his arm away.

"Sorry, your shirt was sticking out. I was just trying to tuck it back in."

Seriously?

"Could you not just have told me? Instead of pawing all over me like some kind of animal?" No doubt there were now several pairs of eyes enjoying the spectacle.

"Sorry," Christian apologised bemusedly. "Don't worry, the song's over. You can go and sit back down now."

Syed could tell that Christian was smirking at him as he walked purposefully back to their table, and shook his head. He was surprised when Christian was still by his side when he sat back down, his expression unreadable.

"Get you another drink, shall I?" And with that, Christian headed over to the bar, leaving Syed with shaking hands and a pulse still racing.

**x-CS-x**

Christian had promised to be the perfect gentleman tonight and Syed had to admit that he'd done a pretty good job of it, which was definitely unexpected. Aside from the 'sexiest man in the room' comment and the supposedly innocent wandering hand, Christian had been on his best behaviour. Syed was sure that he'd even toned down his flirty comments too. All the way home in the taxi he'd been mentally bracing himself for Christian to make a move, even if it was just the casual brushing of his hand against Syed's thigh. But surprisingly, he'd kept his hands well and truly to himself.

There wasn't even a suggestion of them going back to his place for a coffee. Instead he'd given the taxi driver Syed's address and now they were sat outside Syed's flat.

"Right," Christian exhaled. "Home, safe and sound. Thank you so much for coming tonight. It was really great to spend some time with you in a room that doesn't smell of white spirit and dust!"

Syed laughed, "Yeah, it was." He realised that Christian wasn't even intending on leaning over and giving him a kiss goodnight. Not even a quick peck on the cheek. That would still be Christian acting as a gentleman; a goodnight kiss was polite, surely?

Obviously not as Christian stayed where he was. Syed had no choice but to get out of the car.

"Bye then."

Christian nodded, "Bye."

Was Christian not interested in him?

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><p><strong>A bit of an insight into how Christian really feels in the next chapter... <strong>

**Reviews and feedback are appreciated! ;)**


	8. Chapter 8

**Thanks for the reviews :)**

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><p><strong>1 new message – Christian Clarke: <strong>

_**I've got your wallet, must have slipped out of your pocket in the taxi. Come and get it whenever. Christian x**_

Syed chucked his phone down onto the bed and exhaled a sigh of relief. He'd realised his wallet was missing after he'd gotten in last night and had spent an hour frantically searching for it, mentally replaying his evening, trying to figure out where he could have misplaced it. Eventually admitting defeat, he'd made a note to ring the hotel in the morning. But now the text from Christian had extinguished his worries and he no longer needed to panic. He'd go round to Christian's later, on the way to get a takeaway for his dinner. Yep, he'd just run in to Christian's, grab his wallet, thank him and then leave. Simple.

He was still miffed about the absence of a goodbye kiss from Christian. It couldn't have been because Christian found him unattractive; he'd said himself that he thought Syed was the sexiest man in the room. And that was most definitely a compliment as there were some truly amazing-looking men at the awards last night.

Syed decided to have a shower before he went to Christian's. As the water cascaded down onto his skin, and in his relaxed state, he found his mind drifting towards thoughts of Christian. He'd looked incredible last night; his attire had reminded Syed of the picture he'd seen of him in his house. So smart and handsome, less rugged than usual. Nearly every head had turned when they entered the room together, lustful eyes at Christian and jealous ones at Syed. It had given Syed a bit of a kick to know that people were envious of him. He doubted many would envy what had happened in the taxi though… Syed would gladly have accepted a kiss. If he didn't have Pete's voice constantly nagging away in the back of his head then he would probably have accepted a little bit more back at Christian's too. Maybe it was for the best that Christian didn't kiss him. If he had of done then Syed would be craving him all the more now…

**x-CS-x**

Syed left his flat just after seven, wearing a pair of grey jogging bottoms and a tight red T-shirt. He didn't want to make any extra effort, Christian would probably think it was all for him and that Syed was still hung up on him not kissing him goodbye. Which he was obviously, but he didn't want Christian to know that. Maybe he should have called ahead and let Christian know that he was coming round? It was a Saturday night after all; he would have thought that Christian would be out on the pull.

That wasn't the case though, as Syed found out when he pulled into Christian's drive. Several of the lights were on so he was definitely in; hopefully that didn't mean that he was staying in with company though. Syed switched off the ignition and then stepped out of the car onto the gravelled driveway. He'd be here for thirty seconds tops. All he had to do was knock on the door, ask for his wallet and then leave. No need for whoever was in Christian's house with him to come to the door too and see what was going on.

"Syed!" Christian beamed as he opened the front door. "Come in, come in." He was dressed similarly to Syed in loose grey jogging bottoms and a fitted blue V-neck which temptingly showed off just the right amount of chest.

Syed hesitated on the door step. "I just came to get-"

"Yes I know, you came to get your wallet." Christian rambled. "I'm cooking and I don't want my linguine to stick so get in quickly."

He pushed the door closed behind Syed and rushed back into the kitchen. Syed followed him through. He was quite impressed actually; he never thought Christian would be much of a culinary genius, but whatever he was cooking smelt wonderful. Although he was probably only doing it to show off to some guy. Some guy who might be through in the other room…

"Do you have company?"

"Sorry?" Christian rubbed his neck with the back of his hand. "Nope, I don't think so. Can't see anyone, can you?"

Christian chuckled as Syed rolled his eyes, "You don't strike me as a man who likes to cook."

"I'm not great, but I do a pretty good pasta dish. I've been tweaking with it for weeks now, and I think I've got it just about perfect."

That wasn't the only thing that Syed thought was perfect… Enough thoughts of Christian though, he wasn't here for that. "Have you got my wallet?"

"Yes! I spotted it just as I got out." Christian turned away from the hob and looked intently at Syed. "You're not in a hurry are you?"

"No, I guess not. I was just on my way to get some dinner."

Christian smiled, "You're welcome to stay, I've made far too much of this anyway. You can tell me what you think. Go on, I know you want to," he teased.

"What's in it?" Syed strolled over and looked into the pan.

"Chilli, garlic, prawns." Bugger, couldn't use the 'no meat' excuse. Well it did smell fantastic, it looked pretty good too. What was the big deal anyway? It was just a bit of dinner together, and it wasn't in a restaurant either so it wouldn't be particularly romantic. Any other man would have said yes by now.

"Umm…"

"Couple of hours won't hurt, will it? Come on, I'm not going to launch myself at you over the table." Syed didn't think he'd be that bothered if Christian did. "I proved last night that I can restrain myself when I have to." It didn't seem as though he'd had much trouble restraining himself in the taxi, if anything he seemed to find it quite easy.

"Okay. But only because your food smells nice."

"Of course…" Christian turned back to his cooking, but not before Syed caught sight of the pleased grin on his face.

**x-CS-x**

Syed couldn't believe what had happened tonight. He'd had dinner with Christian, which had tasted just as delicious as it smelt, and they'd had a genuinely lovely time together. There'd been moments of flirty banter but the conversation had generally remained polite and casual. Now Syed found himself sat on the sofa in Christian's living room with a photo of Josh in his hand. He hadn't had to sneakily look for it when Christian wasn't looking either, he'd been given it.

"Do you still want to see what Josh looked like?" Christian had said it completely out of the blue.

Syed had nodded and Christian had left the room, returning shortly with a photo frame in his hand.

"There you go." He smiled fondly as he handed the picture over and sat down next to Syed. "I wouldn't normally show anyone, but I don't know. I sort of want to show you…" he trailed away.

Pete hadn't been exaggerating when he said that Josh was stunning, he was a truly beautiful man. His blue eyes were bright and his blonde hair shone. The happiness and love in his smile radiated out of the photo, and it was obvious that Christian was the one capturing the shot. Syed could see how Christian had fallen for him; he looked like a wonderful man. He handed the photo back to Christian and smiled at him. "Thank you for showing me," his voice was quieter than he expected it to be. "I'm so-"

"Don't," Christian's voice was controlled; Syed couldn't tell what he was thinking or feeling. "Please."

"I just don't know what to say." Syed felt like he needed to comfort Christian in some way, even if it was just a small gesture. "I don't know how you coped."

"Well I didn't, not really. Pete helped me so much, I really owe him. Sorry, I don't know why I'm telling you all of this." He paused and shook his head. "Actually, that's not true," he amended. "I think I do know why. Shall we change the subject?"

Syed nodded, unable to speak until the lump in his throat had subsided slightly. He could feel his leg touching Christian's and something was happening. Could Christian feel it too? Every one of Syed's nerve endings were buzzing, tingling with almost unbearable urgency. He wanted to hold Christian, to stroke his arm and whisper comforting words in his ear to lessen the pain. Hold on… this was the effect of the tragic widower! It was lethal! Syed had arrived with the sole intention of getting his wallet back and now here he was, sat unbelievably close to Christian, with his heart slowly beginning to flutter in his chest. He was so annoyed at himself for falling for it.

"Go on then, what do you wanna talk about?" Christian's hand brushed against Syed's thigh as he moved on the sofa.

"What?" Syed's breathing quickened at Christian's touch.

"Change the subject, something happier."

_Happier… Happier._ Syed wracked his brains. "How about the gym?"

"You want to talk about my work? Dull Syed, too dull." Christian shook his head.

"Well you think of something then."

"Umm…" Was Christian moving closer? He was, wasn't he? Syed felt his heart begin to race. Christian took a deep breath before quickly speaking, "How would you feel if I told you that I liked you? Really liked you?"

Syed struggled to contain a grin, trying his hardest to maintain his composure.

"Because I do like you," Christian sighed. "So much so that it scares me. I still don't know if it's what I want to be happening."

No, this was too good to be true, this was the classic Christian Clarke formula wasn't it? How many times had he spun this line before? How many gullible men had ended up in his bed after Christian sold them as the man he was falling for, the one who could fix his broken heart?

But then what if Christian meant every word? What if he really did want to be with Syed? Why did everything have to be so complicated?

"Oh and by the way," Christian's voice was low again, seductive, "keeping my promise last night almost killed me."

Syed swallowed. Was that true? Really? Christian sounded so believable. The look in his eyes suggested that he was being honest. God, his mouth was incredible.

Unknowingly breathless, Syed spoke, "You didn't seem too bothered to me."

"Oh, I was bothered. _Very_ bothered."

If Syed tried to stand now then his knees would undoubtedly give way underneath him. His stomach was full of butterflies and a tight knot of anticipation.

There was something he had to say though, "I wish you didn't have such a bad reputation."

Christian groaned and rubbed his eyes, looking adorably childlike as he did so. "I know. I've acted like an utter arse in the past," he admitted guiltily. "I'm not proud of it at all."

"Like that guy you were on the phone to that time. What did you do? Talk him into thinking that he'd be more of a one night stand, that you and him could-"

Christian interrupted what was sure to turn into a rant. "I'm not going to talk about him; I don't talk about any of my relationships."

"And I guess that that's part of the attraction, isn't it?" Syed looked earnestly at him.

"I'm sure it helps occasionally."

That did make sense. Before Syed had come out he'd always gone for guys in bars that none of his other friends went to. He didn't want to risk his secret being exposed. So yes, discretion was obviously a plus point.

"What are you thinking?" Was Christian stroking his face? Yes he was… Syed shivered slightly at his touch.

He couldn't say what he was thinking; he couldn't believe he was having such filthy thoughts. Oh… it would be so easy for them to go upstairs now and have frantic, passionate sex that nobody else would ever need to know about...

As the thoughts overwhelmed Syed's head, and blood pounded around his body, he looked up into Christian's eyes. There was definitely something more than lust in them now. Desire, care, longing, love…? Christian's mouth was so close to his now, he could feel his warm breath on his cheek. A smiled tugged on his lips as he slowly, tenderly, moved his hand to the back of Christian's neck, ready to pull him in for a kiss he'd been wanting since the day he'd first clapped eyes on him. This was it and he couldn't wait…

_Ddddddrrrrrrrriiiiiinnnnng._

Doorbell. _Shit._

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><p><strong>Sorry... ;) Don't hate me! <strong>


	9. Chapter 9

**I know I say it every time but huge, huge thanks for all of the reviews! Time to find out who's at the door...**

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><p>Their breathing remained profound, eyes now locked together as they shared the same air, mouths open in anticipation. Whoever was at the door was not going to be getting a welcome reception.<p>

"Who's that?" Syed whispered.

Christian shrugged. "No idea, I'm not expecting anyone." Syed sincerely hoped that that was true, and that Christian wasn't making any effort to move from the sofa because he didn't want Syed coming face to face with his date for tonight.

"Maybe you should go and see who it is?" Syed's reluctance to let Christian go was obvious in his voice. He wanted nothing more than to stay with him on the sofa and finish the kiss that had just been about to happen.

"They'll go away… hopefully." Christian's tongue poked out from between his lips. Such a tease.

The bell rung again. _Please go away, please go away._ Syed heard the letterbox opening, maybe it was the postman? Stupid idea. Clearly having Christian in such close proximity had made him lose all sense of time. It was ten o'clock on a Saturday night, what would a postman be doing here?

"Christian!" God. That voice sounded incredibly annoyed and ever so slightly familiar. An ex come to get revenge maybe? "Open this bloody door now!"

"It's Matt." Oh, so they were being interrupted by Christian's business partner. Brilliant. Christian sounded perplexed. "What could he want?"

"I dunno, go and see." As much as Syed wanted to stay in a little bubble with Christian, he wasn't keen on seeing Matt getting even more riled up.

Christian sighed heavily. "Okay…" he groaned. Syed found it challenging to look anywhere but at Christian's lips, he wanted to kiss them so badly... Bloody Matt! Christian grudgingly pulled away, after Syed gingerly removed his hand from around his neck… he hadn't realised it was still there.

Syed heard mumblings coming from the hallway and a few seconds later Matt entered the living room. His eyes flitted from Christian to Syed and then back again, his eyebrow rose in confusion.

"There's been a flood at one of the gyms," Christian ignored Matt's silent question. "I'm really sorry but I've got to go and check it out." Great, just great.

"Sorry, I've interrupted something haven't I?" Matt pulled a face. "I can't say I'm surprised though. I wondered how long it would take, Christian always-"

"Shut up." Christian's tone was firm, annoyed, strong, dominating… Such a turn-on for Syed. Is that what he'd be like in bed?

Syed was so frustrated that he wouldn't be finding out tonight.

**x-CS-x**

It was Monday morning and there'd been no contact from Christian since the 'this will undoubtedly lead to outstanding sex' kiss that had almost happened. Not even a solitary text. The renovation would be complete by the end of the week, what would happen then? Syed didn't really want to think about it. No more coffee and chatting on the roof terrace, no more impromptu meals together, no more 'moments', no more Christian…

He was stood looking at emails on his phone when he heard a familiar voice, and couldn't prevent a small smile when he saw Christian. Was it possible to become even more gorgeous in a couple of days? It certainly seemed to be the case with Christian, he looked absolutely magnificent today. What was he doing here though? Had he come to finish what he'd started on Saturday? To discretely sweep him into the bedroom and… Syed's question was soon answered when Christian sprinted across the room and over to him.

"Hey! I was wondering…" he had a flirty grin on his face, "if you would like to come with me?"

Oh, so that was how he was going to play it? Like nothing had ever happened. Like that moment where they'd been in a bubble of electrifying lust hadn't existed. Fine. Syed could do that too.

"Come with you where?" Syed asked casually, occasionally looking down at his phone, not wanting to appear too interested in anything Christian had to say.

"I need to go and pick up a rug for the living room; I thought you could come with me." A trip in the car, how romantic.

"What makes you think that I want to?"

"A chance to chat," Christian looked knowingly at him. "And before you say that you can't leave this place, I've already rung Pete and he said that it's okay. We'll only be about an hour anyway."

"Fine."

**x-CS-x**

About fifteen minutes into their journey Christian pulled into an overgrown gateway and stopped the car. Syed looked around; they definitely hadn't arrived at their destination. He peered sideways at Christian, puzzled. Was Christian a secret axe murderer and Syed was about to be killed? No, of course not. Of all the things that Christian was, a murderer certainly wasn't one of them.

Christian unfastened his seatbelt and turned to look at Syed. Had he stopped the car so that they could talk about the other night, it seemed a bit odd if he had done. Syed could see a glimmer in his eyes, one that teased and enthralled him, the same look that he'd seen before they'd almost kissed. Why wasn't Christian saying anything?

To urge him on, Syed spoke. "Christian?"

Their eyes met, "Yeah?"

"Why have we stopped?"

Still Christian didn't speak; he simply stared at Syed, one hand still on the steering wheel. The atmosphere in the car was… odd, there was something undetectable in it.

"We have to get to the shop; you said we'd only be an hou-"

Indignantly Christian said, "I'm not planning on sitting here for next two hours, staring out of the window. I just wanted to stop for a couple of minutes."

Syed was utterly confused and didn't reply.

Christian suddenly switched the ignition on again and swiftly reversed out of the drive and back onto the road. Syed didn't dare think of the real reason that Christian had stopped, it made his palms sweat and his pulse quicken. He knew though, he knew it was too late and that he'd already fallen too deep. He felt deflated. He'd never know now if Christian had been about to do what he'd really been hoping he might.

They continued to drive, gathering speed as Syed looked out of the window, morosely watching rain drops spitting on the glass, and still trying to figure out why Christian had stopped. Christian had barely said a word to him since they'd got in the car, it was hardly a 'chance to chat' like he'd promised. He seemed different too, a bit nervous maybe? He kept taking deep breaths every now and again, tightening his grip on the steering wheel.

"Sod it." Christian slammed his foot on the brake. This time they stopped in a passing place, luckily there was little traffic around. Christian screeched to a halt and switched off the engine. "This," he emphasised, "is why I stopped before."

He pulled Syed into his arms and the kiss that Syed had spent weeks fantasising about finally happened. Oh. My. God. Syed was dizzily aware of Christian's mouth on his, fingers tenderly stroking the back of his neck, Christian's tongue probing and searching… Wow, he was an amazing kisser, this was exhilarating, extraordinary, so, so good. Syed could stay like this forever, he didn't want it to ever end.

But it did, it could have been seconds, minutes, hours, but eventually the pressure of Christian's mouth vanished and Syed opened his eyes to see the other man trying his best to keep a straight face. _Calm, Syed._ He didn't want to hyperventilate or inflate Christian's ego further by appearing too impressed. "What was that for?"

"Just curious." Christian shrugged nonchalantly. "Don't tell me you weren't too."

How was he supposed to breathe when his heart was going faster than a bullet train and he could feel it fluttering manically in his chest? How was he meant to form words when his mouth was still tingling from their kiss? Did Christian have that effect on every man that he kissed?

Syed exhaled slowly. Looking at the clock on the dashboard he saw that their hour was almost up. "We need to go and get the rug."

Christian nodded. "I know."

**x-CS-x**

The rest of the journey had been pleasant, nothing more, nothing less, just nice. They hadn't said much to each other, just the occasional word about something on the radio. Both of them were now stood outside Christian's new home. So, this was awkward.

Syed was the first to speak. "Umm… I should probably get back up there now. Got stuff to do."

"Yeah, sounds good." Christian nodded. Could he still feel the sensation of their mouths meeting for the first time, or was that just Syed? Unless the kiss had been an utter disappointment for Christian…

Syed pointed in the direction of the front door. "Best be going back in then." He started walking slowly backwards towards the entrance.

Christian headed towards his car and then turned quickly on the spot.

"What?"

Christian paused and looked directly at Syed. "I'm not very good at this," he stated sheepishly as he ran his fingers through his short hair. "You know, telling a bloke that I like him."

Syed's stomach tensed knowingly in expectation. "You must have managed it with Josh."

"I still struggled though, and now I am with you too."

If anything, the knot in Syed's stomach tightened. He swallowed, "Oh…."

"You think I'm spinning you a line, don't you?" He looked rueful. "Like it's the kind of thing that you can't take seriously because you don't trust me and I've got a bad reputation and I've probably said it a thousand times before."

Feeling light-headed at the situation, Syed could stop himself from replying flippantly, "Only a thousand?"

Christian got back in the car, waited for the window to come down and then began speaking again. "See? But what if I haven't said it before? What if I'm completely serious?"

Was Christian honestly expecting an answer? Syed continued his retreat towards the front door.

"Well?" Christian inquired.

So he did expect Syed to answer.

"I'd say you've got some more persuading to do."

"Okay," a faint content smile played on Christian's face. "That makes sense. I think I can do persuasive."

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><p><strong>Sorry if the build-up to that kiss feels like it's been going on forever, I hope it was worth the wait! :)<strong>


	10. Chapter 10

**Thanks for the reviews :)**

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><p>A week had passed since the pair of them had been stood outside Christian's house, the home that he'd now moved and settled into. And Syed hadn't seen him once since that day; he'd heard nothing from him either, no phone calls, no texts. In fact the only time he'd heard his name was when he'd overheard Pete on the phone to him. Syed felt disappointed about that, angry perhaps, but most of all confused. He simply didn't understand why Christian had chosen to stay away; it was almost as though he'd gone out of his way to not have to come into contact with him. He'd elected to finalise everything on the one day of the week that he knew Syed wasn't working, and his regular visits to the house had stopped occurring during the final week of the renovation. If this was Christian's idea of persuading Syed that he could be trusted then it was fast failing. What had he been doing all week? Going to clubs and shagging strangers? Hopefully not…<p>

Sat in the office, staring morosely at the computer screen, Syed contemplated asking Pete if he knew of any reason why Christian hadn't contacted him. Although doing that would only make him look desperate and needy, not cool at all. He could always text or call Christian himself? But then he refused to be the one to do any of the chasing. If Christian wanted to prove that his interest in Syed was genuine then he had to be the one to make the moves, to show that he didn't just want sex, any man could give him that, after all. No, Syed wanted to know that he was wanted for more than his body and that-

"Hello you."

"Christian," Syed beamed. "What are you doing here?"

Christian grinned. "I just dropped in to see Pete quickly; I need to ask him something."

Oh, so not for Syed then. Time for some answers, it was no good, he had to ask. "Been away on holiday?"

"No. Why, have you missed me?" Christian leant down by the side of the desk, resting his arms on the top of it; Syed's eyes flickered towards them and then back to Christian's face.

"Just wondered, you're more tanned than usual," he stated nonchalantly.

"I've just been working out outside more, got to make the most of this weather. So, you were questioning why I hadn't been around. That's quite reassuring."

Why did he have to say things like that? "I think Pete's off the phone; you could go in and see him now?"

"It's what I was hoping for actually," Christian went on.

What?

"In fact," he amended. "I stayed away on purpose."

His pulse racing, Syed asked, "Why?"

"To see if it made a difference, if it changed anything." Christian kept his voice low and quiet as he spotted Syed looking over at Ben, who was trying to decipher what was being said.

Syed's mouth was dry. "And?"

There was that look again, shining out of Christian's entrancing green eyes. "I think we both know the answer to that, don't we?"

It was taking all of Syed's effort not grab Christian, drag him under the desk and kiss him right now.

"At least, I know how I feel," said Christian, picking up a pen from and spinning it ineffectually around his fingers. "You might feel differently."

Of all the things Christian was, stupid certainly wasn't one of them. So he couldn't really think that. There was an inescapable and undeniable chemistry between them, crackling electricity in the air whenever they were together. For a split second their eyes met.

"So… why don't I pick you up on Friday? Around eight?"

This was it. Things were finally going to start happening.

Syed gave Christian a tiny, timid smile. "Okay."

"Deal." Christian smiled too.

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><p><strong>The big date is coming up in the next chapter ;) <strong>


	11. Chapter 11

**Sorry that it's taken me longer to update than usual, I just wanted to make sure this was right. Thanks for the review so far :)**

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><p>Syed wanted to look his best. After so many weeks of prevarication and wondering if he'd be making a dreadful mistake, he knew that this evening things were going to… happen.<p>

His heart leapt into his throat just thinking about it. But then you could only deny your true feelings for so long. Christian knew that too, didn't he? He'd been the one to instigate all of this. Tonight, everything would change. Their relationship would progress and develop, moving to a whole new level. Now, at last, Syed finally trusted Christian. This definitely wasn't going to be just another meaningless shag. No, because there were feelings, real deep feelings involved.

Ok, too much thinking about this evening wasn't helping, and he was getting jittery with anticipation. Deliberately clearing his mind and taking several deep breaths, Syed applied a splash of aftershave and looked in the bathroom mirror, holding alternate tops against his body.

Was Christian having this much trouble getting himself ready for tonight? Possibly, or maybe was he just jumping in the shower and throwing on the first clean clothes to hand.

**x-CS-x**

The TV was on; the credits were rolling at the end of the soap opera, but for the life of him, Christian couldn't have named even one character that had been in it. His eyes had been on the screen, watching various figures move about, and his ears had heard the voices, yet nothing had permeated his brain. Because all he could do was think about tonight. And Syed. Shit, this was serious.

And what's more, Syed had no clue. How could he even begin to know how Christian felt, how life-changing this evening would be? If Christian could hardly believe what was going on inside him, then how was Syed supposed to have any idea himself? When Josh had died, his world had changed forever, permanently. It had been like being trapped inside a giant cage. That was what happened when you allowed yourself to fall deeply in love with someone; and then when they were ripped away from you, the pain and grief were unimaginable.

So, he'd vowed to never let it happen again, and had simply kept the door to the cage locked. It had been so much easier to play the part of the flirtatious philanderer, to have plenty of fun and avoid any form of commitment. So he'd managed to earn himself a bit of a reputation along the way, why should he care?

And now, everything was about to change. Because despite his best efforts, Syed had uncovered the key to his cage and freed him from his prison. And it was terrifying, so terrifying, but it was also an exhilarating feeling. Christian couldn't deny his relief at finally discovering that time does heal, and that when you meet the right person then it's possible to move on.

**x-CS-x**

The tumble-dryer clicked off and Christian opened it, pulling out the warm, cream pillow cases, duvet cover and king-sized fitted sheet. But then he pondered… If Syed smelt the fabric conditioner on them, would he think that Christian had taken it for granted that they'd end up in bed together tonight? Would he be offended at having been regarded a sure thing? Then again, didn't they both know, deep down, that it was going to happen tonight?

As he carried everything through to the bedroom, Christian wondered what Syed would be doing now. He wasn't the kind of flap around and worry about what he looked like. That was just one of the great things about him, he wasn't high maintenance or vain, like so many of the men around here.

Right, that was the bed finished. He stepped back to admire the end result, leaning forward to adjust the position of a cushion. The bedroom was tidy, dusted and vacuumed this morning; everything was clean and the lighting was just right, providing a sensual glow across the room. All of a sudden it seemed incredibly important, he wanted Syed to feel comfortable here, and to approve of the way the room looked.

There were candles in the wardrobe; Christian deliberated if he should get them out. On the one hand he was keen to impress Syed, but on the other he didn't want him feeling overwhelmed and under pressure.

Ok, he'd give the candles a miss, they were too much hassle. Briefly pausing in front of the mirror to check that his hair hadn't dried funny, Christian then crossed over to the window to close the curtains. As he reached out to clutch them, his left arm brushed against the deep blue ceramic bowl on the window ledge. Josh had bought it shortly before their wedding was due to take place, declaring that it would be perfect to hold bunches of flowers. Christian smiled fondly at the memory.

**x-CS-x**

The restaurant was small and intimate; music twinkled throughout the room, adding to the relaxed and romantic atmosphere. Christian and Syed were sat in the far corner, a jarred candle in between the pair of them, casting shadows over their faces.

"So," Christian took a gentle sip of his drink and beamed at Syed, "have you had a good week?"

"It's been a bit boring actually, now that I'm back in the office."

"Now that you've got to do actual work, you mean?" Christian cheekily raised an eyebrow.

"Oi!" Syed laughed, "Your renovation is finished now, isn't it?"

"Yeah, alright," Christian spoke slowly. "All thanks to you, obviously."

Syed smiled shyly, "So, how about yours?"

"Yeah it's been ok. I've had a fair bit on my mind recently though so I've been a little distracted."

"Like what?"

"Well, like you and me, us… " Christian trailed off.

"Oh, I see."

At that moment the waiter came over, pen poised, ready to take their order. Syed watched Christian as he spoke, his eyes travelling over Christian's silk-disguised torso and face, coming to rest on his mouth.

"You're staring at me." Christian smiled smugly as the waiter departed.

"No," Syed faltered. "I was-"

"You are allowed to, you know. Don't tell me that you've never noticed me looking at you for longer than I probably should have done."

Syed couldn't deny that he hadn't. The lingering looks from Christian had always given him a frisson of excitement; they'd also led to him questioning whether there could ever be anything more between them. And now here they were, sat enjoying a romantic meal together…

"There's something about you, Sy." Oh, that was new. Sy. Nobody had ever called him that before, never dared to shorten his name. He'd always thought he wouldn't like it, but when it was spoken by Christian it sounded right, it sounded good. "Something that I still haven't quite got my head around."

"Is that a good thing?"

"I can't decide." Christian shook his head thoughtfully. "You're sort of… mysterious."

"Mysterious? I've never been called that before."

"Maybe that's the wrong word then, I just feel like there's so much that I don't know about you."

"And you want to know?"

"Yeah," Christian nodded and smiled. "I think I do."

"Well, this date is the first step towards that, isn't it?" Syed teased.

**x-CS-x**

They thanked the waiter, and Syed asked for the bill, as their table was cleared. After he was gone, Christian leaned forward and rested his elbows on the table, a look of slight trepidation on his face.

"I was wondering, do you want to come back to mine?" He asked cautiously, "Just for a coffee or something?" 'Something'? That would be great… amazing even. 'Something' was what Syed wanted, what he'd craved for so long, and now it was on offer, and it was too good to resist.

He composed himself and replied calmly, "Yeah, that'd be nice."

**x-CS-x**

"Ok, so I'll put the kettle on then, you just sit down and-" Christian's ramble was interrupted by Syed.

"Christian, I think we both know that I don't want a coffee." He stated timidly, blushing as he spoke.

Christian moved towards him knowingly, "Oh… do we?"

"I want the 'something'." Syed bit his lip flirtatiously.

"I was hoping you would."

"Can I just clarify what it involves though, please?" he asked, mock seriously.

Christian took a further step towards Syed and ran his fingers through the other man's hair, sweeping strands from his forehead. "Let me think…" Syed's breathing was getting progressively heavier now. "It involves a bed, some kissing," Christian's lips were temptingly close right now, "taking our clothes off, and-" Their mouths met in a surge of passion and want, when they parted they both grinned at each other.

"So, more than a mattress on the floor then?"

"Oh, definitely. Only the best for you."

"Care to show me?"

Christian smoothed his hand over Syed's arm and then gently took his wrist, "Follow me."

**x-CS-x**

"You do trust me, don't you?" Christian was straddling Syed's hips, his hands either side of Syed's head.

His groin aching with want, and his pupils dilated with lust, Syed looked up, deep into Christian's green eyes. "Trust you? What do you mean?"

"You…" Christian paused. "You know that this is more than just a one night stand, more than sex, to me anyway. I know what you've been told, and what you must think, but you mean a lot to me, really. I want you to know that."

All doubt had faded from Syed's mind, and he knew that every word Christian was speaking was true. He ran his fingertips over the back of the other man's head, trailing them towards his neck. "Christian?"

"Yeah?"

"Make love to me."

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><p><strong>I hope you enjoyed it? Let me know :)<strong>


	12. Chapter 12

**After not writing any more of this story for over a year I suddenly decided to continue it. Hopefully I'll be able to finish it in due course, and there certainly won't have to be another year long wait for the next chapter. I hope you enjoy it. **

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><p>When Syed awoke it took him a while to realise where he was. The smell of a different washing powder on the bed sheets and a wardrobe being in his line of sight instead of his chest of drawers left him confused. That was until he felt the warmth of another body next to him, and he remembered that he was in Christian's bed.<p>

He rolled over to look at the man beside him, breathing gently and still sound asleep. Leaning across Christian to look at the alarm clock on his bedside table, he placed a tender kiss on his shoulder and smiled. It was nine o'clock and they'd had a mere five hours sleep, having spent the night making love, exploring each other's bodies. Syed couldn't remember a time when he'd felt more sated. Never had a man known exactly how to touch him. Identified the precise area of thigh to suck and tease with teeth to make Syed shiver with delight. Known the exact speed and strength at which to move his mouth over Syed's cock that would make him explode. But Christian had known all of that and more, instinctively.

Lying back down, he slowly ran his fingers over Christian's back and pressed his body against him, feeling the heat of Christian's arse against his groin, making his cock harden more than it was already. He draped his arm over Christian's body and continued the movement of his fingers, with each stroke getting increasingly close to the other man's groin. Syed let out a sigh of lust as he felt Christian's arousal, slowly pumping his first around it as he remembered how it had felt inside him.

Christian had been gentle at first. Syed normally cringed when he thought of someone being 'gentle' with him during sex, but that's exactly how Christian had been. Worried that Syed still had a small niggle of doubt about Christian's commitment to him, he'd not wanted it to seem like another meaningless one night stand. He'd wanted to take his time, making sure Syed knew how much it meant to him, how he wanted more than a quick release. He'd wanted to enjoy Syed in every way that he could.

After their first cum together, they'd lain beside each other, looking deep into each other's eyes and smiling with satisfaction. No words were needed. They'd both known what the other was thinking. And then Christian had whispered in Syed's ear that he was hard again, and that he wanted to pound him this time, give him the hardest and most intense cum that he'd ever experienced. And so that's how they'd spent the rest of their night, with their bodies close, moving against each other in the most blissful way.

Christian moaned in pleasure as Syed continued to grind his hips gently against his arse. Syed nipped at his shoulder and Christian turned around, putting his hand behind Syed's neck and drawing him into a passionate kiss.

"Morning handsome," Christian's voice was gruff and sexy.

"Hey," Syed smiled and stroked Christian's cheek.

Christian rubbed his eyes and laughed to himself, reliving the memories of the previous night. "Wow. You really are quite something, aren't you?"

"As are you," Syed replied cheekily.

"God, Syed. Last night was just," he paused to find the right word. "Incredible."

Syed closed his eyes, remembering the pleasure he had felt.

"It really was. Do we have to get up? Can we not just stay in bed and…"Syed's hand snaked down and returned to its previous position, grasping hold of Christian's cock.

"Afraid not stud," Christian sighed and squirmed with desire. "I've got to be at the gym by one."

Syed pouted it protest, hoping it would entice Christian into staying in bed with him for the rest of the day.

"That face will not work with me, Mr. Masood." Christian pulled a mock-stern expression. "I tell you what… Why don't we go and have breakfast now," a thought struck him. "I'll get the cafetière out!"

"Ooh, I am special then!"

"You know you are." Christian placed a gentle kiss on his forehead. "We can have some breakfast, watch a bit of telly together, I'll head off to the gym, and then you can be here waiting for me when I get back. Naked on my bed. Waiting. Ready to be fucked hard again."

"Sounds good to me…" Syed rolled on top of Christian and ardently kissed him.

**x-CS-x**

The aroma of brewing coffee filled the kitchen as Syed sat at the breakfast bar, watching Christian wander around the kitchen, looking in the fridge and cupboards for something for them to eat. Completely naked, except for a pair of tight black boxers resting low on his hips, Syed watched Christian as he took a box of eggs from the fridge, turned around and cheekily suggested a fried egg sandwich.

"Sounds perfect," Syed smiled. "Can I plunge yet?" he indicated toward the cafetière.

"Naughty." Christian winked. "Go for it, stud."

They ate their breakfast together, with the relaxing music of Rufus Wainwright playing in the background, stopping occasionally to just look at each other and recall the glorious memories of the previous night. Of course it was far too early to talk about love, but there was certainly something there, and it made Syed feel warm inside.

"Have you got any good books?" Syed asked suddenly as he put his egg sandwich down.

Christian used to thumb to wipe some sauce from Syed's lip, licking it off suggestively as he replied.

"Depends what your definition of good is. I've got a couple of vintage classics that you might like, a bit of Bond. I might even have Oliver Twist somewhere. Why?"

"Dickens, hey? I bet you haven't even opened it." Christian looked incredulous, to which Syed laughed. "I just like to read, okay? You can't get a cup of tea big enough or a book long enough to suit me."

"C. S. Lewis." Christian said quietly.

"Oh! So you do read then? Aww, have you got The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe?" Syed's cheeky grin faded when he noticed Christian's blank expression.

"Look, I think I've made a mistake." Christian hung his head.

It took Syed a moment to register what Christian had just said.

"No…" Syed shook his head disbelievingly. "But you said."

"I know what I said, and I thought I meant it. But I don't. I'm sorry Syed, but I just can't do this. I think you should leave."

"But you told me that I could trust you, that I would be more than another one night stand. Or is that part of the infamous Christian Clarke spiel? I'm no different to the rest of them, am I?"

"Just leave, Syed. Please." Tears were brimming in Christian's eyes.

"Stop with the crocodile tears, Christian. Why couldn't you just be honest? You wanted a fuck. You've got one. And now you've done exactly what you wanted with me. I'm just another dispensable bloke."

Syed calmly went upstairs to the bedroom, still not quite believing what Christian had just said, and quickly dressed as he heard Christian following him.

He put a hand up before Christian could speak again, not stopping when the other man tried to hold him back as he left the room.

"I don't want to hear it Christian. I really don't. You've got what you wanted, so just leave me alone from now on, okay?"

Syed walked down the stairs, with Christian closely behind, and turned around at the front door.

"I really thought we could have something."

Christian took a step towards him.

"Just don't, Christian."

**x-CS-x**

Christian put his head in his hands as Syed left.

"But, you don't understand."

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><p><strong>Apologies for the angst! And as ever, feedback would be wonderful! <strong>


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